Of all our senses, the sense of touch is perhaps one of the most defining of our humanity in this day and age. With it comes notions of intimacy and connection. Fittingly, AXOR’s latest collaboration with French designer Jean-Marie Massaud—14 years after his first collection for the brand—focuses on a geometries and surfaces that invite one’s fingers to explore.  

The designer of AXOR Edge – Jean-Marie Massaud

AXOR Edge is a collection of faucets that harnesses an ultraprecise diamond manufacturing method to yield architectonic gems for the bathroom. Angular forms are composed asymmetrically and embellished by a fine texture of precision-pointed pyramids. With AXOR Edge, a new kind of haptic experience is introduced into bathrooms, whether as part of the washbasin, the bathtub, the bidet or as thermostat modules for the shower. 

Personal preferences are taken into consideration with seven polished AXOR FinishPlus surface colours available for the picking. These range from Polished Gold-Optic to Polished Black Chrome. For those with a penchant for sleek minimalism, AXOR Edge is also available without the partial texturing of the surface. 

Sketches of the AXOR Edge

“In my collaboration with AXOR, we always seek to provide a better user experience. With AXOR Edge, we have answered the demand for refinement and uniqueness to make a sculpture out of an everyday object,” says Massaud. “More than a faucet, each product in the collection is a jewel, a masterpiece, a unique architectural object drilled from a brass block and then dressed with personal finishes.” 

The diamond-tipped tool used to mill the chamfers of each AXOR Edge faucet at 45 degrees.

With AXOR Edge, the space and laser industries provided the key to new opportunities. The same diamond-tipped tool used in these industries was used to mill the chamfers of each faucet at exactly 45 degrees. Diamonds facet the surface of the solid brass block down to the micron, creating a texture that subtly plays with light and shadow. The attention to detail and aspiration towards perfection is exemplary. For this reason, AXOR Edge is a veritable gem. 

Images courtesy of AXOR.

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